Experience the rainforest

Explore the rainforest without leaving the UK. The Living Rainforest is home to 700 species of plants and animals. Watch birds, butterflies, lizards and a two-toed sloth roam free in our tropical glasshouses.... Read more

Schools programme

Each year, The Living Rainforest's acclaimed education programme welcomes over 25,000 school children. Four tours are available, supporting key subjects in the Curriculum.... Read more

Our history

The Living Rainforest stands at the former site of one of Europe's leading orchid nurseries. In 1993, it re-opened as a rainforest visitor centre. Today, with registered educational charity status, we welcome over 90,000 visitors a year.... Read more

Solutions for sustainable living

The Trust for Sustainable Living, which runs The Living Rainforest, hosts a range of events on contemporary sustainability topics, including the annual International Schools Essay Competition & Debate and Schools Sustainability Challenge. Subscribe to our newsletter (below) for occasional news updates.... Read more

News & Media

Interact with the rainforest online

Lush growth & animal activity

The recent sunshine has seen a flush of new plant growth at the Living Rainforest. There are new flowers on many of the Ginger plants and new buds on the Coffee trees. Just past the Crocodile Pit, there are some fantastic flower spikes on the bromeliads and large pink blossoms on the Philippine Medinilla. The Lobster Claw Plants and Cachibou, which produces wax used in cosmetics, are just starting to blossom. Bananas seem to be growing everywhere and the butterfly beds are awash with colour.

The birds and reptiles are active, and we are happy to announce the arrival of a male Bronze-winged Pigeon to accompany our female. In Lowland house, there is a new Forest Floor exhibit featuring Giant Millipedes, Hissing Cockroaches, Fruit Beetles and Giant Land Snails. (Please note that our frogs will be off-show until later this year, when the revamp of their enclosure is completed.)